Hernandez 1

Seorita Hernandez

As I closed the car door *SLAM!* I look back to fix my hair the sun hitting against my
hair making it look goldish like a crispy chicken nugget from McDonald's. As I stand in front of
the tinted car window I attempt to make a nervously smile my eyes go small as if I were
squinting my droopy brown eyes. Let's try this again, I tell myself. I smile once again my
smile gets big making my cheeks look like chipmunk cheeks, my smile curves from one rosy
cheek to the other. I walked into the room I was assigned too I come across a pale lady with dark
hair, she looked mid-age she walks towards me. Hola Buenos Dias, she says I reply and say
Hola buenos dias yo soy la nueva Maetsra Leslie.
Hello, I am Mrs.Gonzales nice to meet you from now on you will be Seorita
Hernandez, so the children take you more serious. She replied as she walked towards her big
brown desk filled with a stack of paper and a mason jar filled with pens all sorts of colors. She
comes back and gives me a name tag and says Hasta Maana.
The next morning I walk into the class I made sure to put on my name tag I take off the
white paper thats behind it and press the sticker against my chest. The border line around the
white was bright green. My name printed in the center of the empty white space in big red letters
you read Seorita Hernandez.
I stand outside the door Hola I say as the children placed their belongings into a clear
container box outside of the door and into the room they go. After all the kids are seated inside
they are very rowdy I begin to sing "La lechuza, la lechuza, hace shhh, hace shhh. Todos
calladitos, como la lechuza, hacen shhh, hacen shhh." They all begin to sing and start to settle
down. I began to explain our first activity we were going to go paint outside but this activity was
different we weren't just going to paint with just colors or regular paint I had made these ice

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cubes filled with different colors and they would each grab a ice cube and paper to paint anything
they wanted specially on this hot summer day I thought it would be fun. As we go outside all the
kids are excited elegir un color y un cubo de hielo que le gustara empezar. The children
begin to grab a paper and an ice cube. "Esta frio!" a kid says meaning the ice cube was cold but
he begins to laugh " jaja, es muy divertido."
An hour passes by and all the children are done with their masterpieces I help them pin them
up on the fence. Some of their papers feel soft and wet from the ice cube melting on the
construction paper while others felt rough as I touched the paint on top. I see the pictures they
have drawn and each of them use bright colors such as green, red, yellow all beautiful pictures.
" Es hora del almuerzo" all the kids run towards the containers where all their belongings were
in they grab their lunch boxes. They sit down in these long blue benches three tables filled with
children opening their lunch boxes they begin to eat. I smell sandwiches, potato chips, some had
lunchables reminded me of my Elementary school lunches. A little girl called me over she was
very tan, with light brown hair and big brown eyes in a very polite way she asks, Seorita
Hernandez quiere una manzana? I replied No pero muchas gracias Alani and her brother
sitting beside her just giggles *Ahaha*
10 minutos ms y si tiene que ir al bao van hora. Some kids stood up and put their lunch
boxes back and headed into the restroom while others just went to sit inside the classroom. After
all the children were done we headed inside as I stepped into the class I felt a cold breeze I stood
next to the grey big door waiting for the children's parents so I could call each student. The first
one to leave was Jose Jose ya esta tu mama aqui he gets up coming towards me was a 3inch
little chubby boy, pale white with rosy cheeks and a bowl cut. He hands me a white sheet of
paper in the left hand corner in big orange letters you read his name Jose and in the center was a

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purple circle with a green stem appearing it to be a purple lily he had drawn me and on the right
hand side in big numbers 804 243 1881. Jose said, esta flor es para usted Seorita Hernandez si
mi porto mal llamale a mi mama. * Haha* ay Jose muchas Gracias.
He runs towards his mom yelling Hasta Maana Seorita Hernandez!
After everyone leaves I start pushing in the chairs I think to myself I enjoy teaching kids
another language. As a Latina it is sad to see many children once they begin to grow up forget
their second language because they dont speak it at home. It is important for everyone to learn
their roots and where they came from as I learned in my AP Spanish class Si no sabes de dnde
vienes no sabes a dnde vas. Meaning if you dont know where you come from such as your
background history of your parents, languages spoken you dont know where to go in life
because you have to be proud of who you are. It is important for one to easily forget where you
come from getting caught up in a society where you cant find a voice but its great teaching
younger kids how to be themselves in a society that asks for otherwise.